1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns the design and operation of a stamping device for stamp hobbyists. More specifically, the present invention is directed toward a stamping device that transfers a stamped image to an irregularly surfaced object with increased ease and precision.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the advent of the printing block, the art of stamping has expanded to where its present use ranges from making simple design impressions to technical printing presses. Stamping or decorating surfaces has become widespread, from the reproduction of corporate insignias to mere decorative designs. Designers have developed different design variations to accommodate particular printing needs. However, there exists a need for a practical and relatively inexpensive device for transferring an image from a flat printing block to an irregularly surfaced object, as desired by a stamp hobbyist. Stamp hobbyists generally require a stamping device simple in application and construction, and capable of rapidly stamping numerous objects of varying dimensions and surface irregularities, including spherical, concave, and/or convex surfaces.
Presently existing devices for transferring images to irregular surfaces generally require procedures and configurations that are incompatible with the freehand transfers of an image by a stamp hobbyist. For example, conventional stamping devices frequently include rigid mechanical parts, which require that application of substantial forces as well as precise positioning between the image and the surface of the object to be printed. Such devices often further limit their application by requiring that the printed object be of a particular size and shape. In general, the techniques currently used for image transfer are cumbersome and complex to manipulate and impractical for transferring images to objects of differing dimensions. Further, many of the conventional stamping systems are simply too expensive for hobbyists to purchase. Because of these problems, many hobbyists have limited their practice to stamping only those objects having planar surfaces.
In view of the limitations and complexity of existing stamping devices and methods, a need has arisen, particularly among stamp hobbyists, for a device capable of transferring an image to an irregularly surfaced object, which is simple in application and construction.